Giambi is an interesting story this year. He's the 'veteran presence/clubhouse leader' mediocre numbers, veteran retread-type player that most folks here used to loathe under Wedge. Universally he seems to have been accepted even with marginal numbers last year and a pedestrian spring. Couple this with being an admitted 'roids user, and someone who, before the ink was dry on that contract, seemingly made the 25-man roster, I'm shocked more folks aren't asking why he is even on this team...

WiscTribeFan wrote:Giambi is an interesting story this year. He's the 'veteran presence/clubhouse leader' mediocre numbers, veteran retread-type player that most folks here used to loathe under Wedge. Universally he seems to have been accepted even with marginal numbers last year and a pedestrian spring. Couple this with being an admitted 'roids user, and someone who, before the ink was dry on that contract, seemingly made the 25-man roster, I'm shocked more folks aren't asking why he is even on this team...

Personally, I don't care if he's on the team one way or another. The difference, I think, is that Giambi's clearly your 25th player and a guy who won't play a big on-field role. The other retreads (OCab, Nixon, even Damon) were expected to play prominent roles that they couldn't handle.

I don't know. I agree that it's a bit of a double standard. In a vacuum, carrying Giambi makes no sense. But, with the position players and the versatility that the Indians have around him, it becomes more acceptable.

I guess.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

If nothing else it's yet another example of the benefit of being a likable teammate.

Literally thousands of career years have been lost in time cause a guys being dicks.

Not talking stars or stiffs here, because we all know if you can PLAY, you can be about the biggest dick on GGE and still have a spot, and if you stink, being the nicest guy in the world ain't gonna help you. But for many guys there's gonna come a time when you're in that spot - for a guy like Giambi it's early and late - some guys are in that spot the entire time, but clearly, if Jason Giambi rubbed teammates the wrong way, he'd a been gone years ago.

Funny how guys don't understand this - or have no ability to comprehend it.